A Harry Potter Christmas Carol
by Ginny612
Summary: A New Twist on a Fimiliar Tale
1. An Introduction

Title: A Harry Potters' Christmas Carol.  
  
Author: Ginny612  
  
Date: 12/1/03  
  
Summary: An new twist on an old familiar tale.   
  
Author's note: Okay, I know there are like a million of these out there. Okay, well last time I checked there was 25. But anyways, there are a lot out there, so this is my make of "A Christmas Carol"  
  
Disclaimer: As always, this never changes, not mine, getting no money.   
  
Make sure you read my disclaimer in the previous chapter first!! :o)  
  
~*~HP~*~S&G~*~D/G~*~HP~*~S&G~*~D/G~*~HP~*~S&G~*~D/G~*~HP~*~S&G~*~D/G~*~  
  
The year is 1843 as we start this story out on the old streets of London. It's the day before Christmas, and there are people in the streets going into shops and buying last minute Christmas presents. The women are buying much needed food for their feasts the following day, and the children cling to their mothers' skirts with large smiles on their faces, for they know what the following day will bring.  
  
We pass many small shops on the street with the cart owners trying to sell their things when suddenly we come to a little cart where two unsuspecting twin boys are selling Christmas candy.  
  
One boy holds up a bag of candy and yells, "Christmas candy! Get your Christmas candy here!"   
  
"Fool your friends, your family, hell, even people you don't know!" the other boy says, eats a piece of candy, and it explodes in his face. "Oops, wrong one."  
  
"Fred, will you stop wasting them?"  
  
"It brings about a sense of scarcity!" He turned his head and realized that they weren't alone. "Uh, bro, we have company."  
  
The other looks to where the other is looking and indeed does see people. "Oh. Well, hello!" He clears his throat and says, "Welcome to 'A Harry Potter Christmas Carol'. I am here to tell the story."  
  
"And I am here to..." He stops and turns to his brother. "Why exactly am I here?"  
  
"Uh... to keep me out of trouble?" The first brother adds under his breath, "Or to cause it, but whatever." He turns back to the reader and says, "Anyways, my name is Charles Dickens."  
  
"And my name is Fred Weasley. Hey wait a second! You're not Charles Dickens."  
  
"Yes I am."  
  
"A red head with a TWIN!?"  
  
George shrugs and says, "Sure, why not!"   
  
"Charles Dickens was a 19th century novelist; a genius!"  
  
"Thanks, mate."  
  
"Exactly my point." Fred sighs and says, "Why should I even believe you when I know that you're really not him?"  
  
"Because I know the story of 'A Christmas Carol' like the back of my hand."  
  
"Prove it!"  
  
George sticks his hand out, looks away, and says, "Well, there's a scar on my hand from the time we played that prank on Snape in our third year."  
  
"Oh, yeah, that was bloody brilliant!"  
  
"And there's a mole on my middle finger..."  
  
"No, no, no. Don't tell us the back of your hand! Tell us the story!"  
  
"Oh yes, right, right." He clears his throat and deepens his voice, "Zabini was dead to begin with."  
  
"Zabini was dead? What kind of beginning is that? Do you want to scare the little kiddies away?"  
  
George sighs and says, "It's not scary, it's just an eye catcher for the first paragraph. You know. It's not scary!"   
  
"Well, then... I guess you got the eye catcher thing going. So, good job, Mr. Dickens!" Fred says in a sarcastic tone.   
  
"Thanks. So where was I? Oh, yes, Zabini was dead to begin with."  
  
"Um... isn't it supposed to be Marley?"  
  
"Shut up!" George starts again, "Zabini was dead to begin with; dead as a doornail."  
  
"How can a doornail be dead? It doesn't have a life to begin with!"  
  
George grabs an apple off a moving sales cart as it goes by them and stuffs it in Fred's mouth. Fred takes the apple out of his mouth and starts to eat it.  
  
"In life he was partners with a shrewd money lender named Draco Malfoy."  
  
"Ebenezer Scrooge," Fred says at the same time. When he realizes they said two different names he says, "What? What kind of Christmas Carol is this?"  
  
George sighs, puts the apple back into Fred's mouth, and says, "It's a 'Harry Potter Christmas Carol'!" He continues with his tale, "His name again is Draco Malfoy. You'll be meeting his character as he rounds the corner."  
  
"Where?" Fred asks.  
  
"There." George points.  
  
"When?"  
  
"Now!"  
  
Right as he says it, Draco Malfoy turns the corner. He is a young man of about 25. He is a tall, pale man with a pointed nose, who has a cold disposition. He has no expression on his face; just the mere presence of him sends chills up your spine. People automatically walk out of his way. He wears a black cloak, a top hat, and walks with a cane.  
  
"Isn't he supposed to be old?" asks Fred. George elbows his brother in the stomach. "Okay, okay! I'll keep my comments to myself!"  
  
To be continued...  
  
This was basically just an introduction to my story. Hope you guys got a little laugh out of this! I'm hoping for a very soon second chapter, but as the semester grows near homework and tests are piling up. So, I'm going to try really hard! Hope you guys enjoyed! 


	2. Christmas Eve

Okay, so I realized I forgot to put this in the first chapter, this should be a little bit more helpful!  
  
Ebenezer Scrooge - Draco Malfoy  
  
Bob Cratchit - Ronald Weasley (Who is older then Draco in this fic)  
  
Mrs. Cratchit - Hermione Granger/Weasley  
  
Belle, Ebenezer's old girlfriend - Ginny Weasley  
  
Ginny's boyfriend - Harry Potter  
  
Jacob Marley - Blaise Zabini  
  
Narrator a.k.a Charles Dickens - George Weasley  
  
Narrator's friend - Fred Weasley   
  
Ghost of Christmas Past - Dumbledore  
  
Ghost of Christmas Present - Hagrid  
  
Ghost of Christmas yet to come - hee hee hee! :o)  
  
Old School Master - Dumbledore (Don't worry, it'll all work out! :o)  
  
Mr. Fezziwig - Snape  
  
Mrs. Fezziwig - McGonagall (just think of her as younger)  
  
Fan, Ebenezer's sister - Fan  
  
New Character - Draco's Brother-in-law, wife of Fan - Jack  
  
Young Nephew Fred, son of Jack and Fan - Fred   
  
Author's Note: Okay, so this one, is just a chapter needed for the next chapter, I swear, when Ghost of Christmas Past comes along, that's when I start my own plot up! This one is just funny and fun, I guess. Enjoy!! :o)  
  
Took a direct quote, I think it is, from "A Mickey's Christmas Carol," Like the one from 1986. Let's see if anyone can find it!! :o)  
  
Thanks Becky for everything!!!!   
  
Remember I don't own anything!  
  
~*~HP~*~S&G~*~D/G~*~HP~*~S&G~*~D/G~*~HP~*~S&G~*~D/G~*~HP~*~S&G~*~D/G~*~  
  
The two followed Draco to his counting house and George continued with his narration. "He was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Malfoy! A squeezing, wrenching," he said trying to emphasize his point by changing his voice, "grasping..."  
  
"Uh, Charlie?" interrupted Fred.  
  
"...Scraping, clutching..." George ignored his brother and continued.  
  
"Stop it!" Fred hissed.  
  
"...Greedy, sinner! Hard and..." he stopped as someone tapped him on the shoulder.   
  
He turned around and saw Draco right behind him. Draco leaned a little closer and said, "If you're going to be talking about me, best not be doing it within hearing range!" He turned and walked into his building.   
  
George whacked his brother upside the head and said, "Why didn't you tell me that he was standing right behind me?"  
  
Fred rubbed his head when he said, "I tried, bro, but you wouldn't listen."   
  
They walked to the window and looked in.  
  
"Why can't we go inside? It's probably warmer!" Fred said.  
  
"Believe me mate, it's not," said George.  
  
Draco walked into his counting house, removed his cloak and hat, and hung them near his desk.   
  
Ronald Weasley, his clerk, who was about five years older than him with a wife and five children, was already sitting at his desk doing his work. He only looked up to see who came through the door and nodded his head slightly to acknowledge his boss.   
  
"So, Mr. Weasley," Draco spoke with a clear deep voice, "tell me. Are the rumors true?"  
  
Ron looked up from his paperwork and asked, "Uh... rumors sir? What rumors would these be?"  
  
"The ones about Potter finally proposing to your sister," he said, warming his hands by the small furnace.   
  
"Ah, yes, sir," he smiled slightly. Draco turned to him and gave him such a sinister expression that it made Ron grow deathly white and wiped the smile right off of his face. "Uh, yes he did; last night to be exact. He said that he..."  
  
Draco put his hand up to signal his clerk to stop talking and said, "I only asked if it was true, I wasn't asking to hear the bloody details."  
  
"Sorry, sir," Ron said. He was about to return to his desk when the door opened up and a gentleman around thirty entered the counting house with a little boy clinging to his pant leg.   
  
"Master Jack!" Ron smiled and greeted the man.  
  
"Good morning, Ron," he shook Ron's hand and said, "and remember, it's just Jack."  
  
Ron smiled, bent down, and said to the little boy, "Good morning to you, young master Fred."  
  
"Hello, Mr. Weasley," he said as only a 6 year old boy could.  
  
"Get back to work, Weasley!" Draco hissed, and Fred hid behind his father's pant leg once again.   
  
Ron stood up and went back to his desk.   
  
"Brother," Jack said in a warning tone, "don't yell at him. He didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"Don't tell me what to do, Jack, and I'm not your brother!"  
  
Jack sighed and said, "But you are Fred's uncle."  
  
Draco looked down at the boy who was cowering behind his father's leg and could see fear in the little boy's eyes. He turned to sit at his own desk and said, "I know that."  
  
"Well, you certainly don't act like it!"  
  
"Is that so?" he asked, taking out a quill and writing something in his books. "And tell me, Jack, what can I do to act as an uncle?" he asked, not really caring what the answer was.   
  
"Well, you can come to Christmas dinner!" Jack said cheerfully.  
  
"What?" Draco said, lifting his head.  
  
"Come! Dine with us tomorrow!" Jack said.  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not?"   
  
"I do not make merry on Christmas."  
  
"You should though, it would do you some good, brother!"  
  
Draco slammed his fist on the desk and said, "I am not your brother." He put his head back down and continued his writing. "I decline your offer and I wish you a good afternoon!"  
  
"Why can we not be friends?" Draco did not respond to his question. "We were jolly good friends when your sister was alive. Why must it change?"   
  
Draco stood up quickly and said, "Do not speak of my sister in such a way. I say again, good afternoon!"  
  
"Fine. I'll leave. But do not let it pass that I did not try to become friends, and so I will keep Christmas in my way and allow you to keep it in your own." He looked down at his son and said, "Come, Fred, let's go."  
  
Fred looked up to his uncle and said in a quivering voice, "Merry Christmas, Uncle." And he followed his father to the door.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Ron." Jack said, patting the man's arm.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Master Jack." Ron smiled up to him.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Brother, and a happy new year!" Jack said and closed the door.  
  
"Bah humbug!" Draco said. He noticed that as his former brother-in-law and his nephew had left his counting house, two more gentlemen walked in.   
  
These two men were of an older age, not looking like they were in need of business. They wore nicely tailored suits, cloaks, scarves, and top hats.   
  
They took their hats off, and one said, "Malfoy and Zabini's I presume." He looked at his list and asked, "Have I the pleasure of addressing Mr. Malfoy, or Mr. Zabini?"  
  
"Mr. Zabini has been dead these past two years," Draco said. He put his head back down to continue his work. "He died two years ago this very night."  
  
"We are truly sorry, sir," the other man said.  
  
Draco made no motion to this kind man's words.  
  
The other, with the list in his hands, said, "I am most positive that you are as giving as Mr. Zabini was, aren't you sir?"   
  
Outside the counting house Fred asked, "Uh, bro... I mean, Charlie, basically what does that mean?"  
  
"He's telling Malfoy that he's a cheap bastard, just like Zabini was," said George.  
  
"Thought so."  
  
The man looked at his partner and said, "We are collecting for the poor, sir. Many people are in the need of common necessities, like food to eat, clothes to put on their backs, or even a place to live."   
  
"Are there no prisons?" Draco asked.  
  
"We have plenty of those," the first gentleman said.  
  
"And the union workhouses?" Draco said a little more sternly. "Are they not still in operation?"  
  
"They are, though I wish they were not," the second man responded.  
  
Draco got up and said, "Oh thank goodness, you had me worried for a moment. I am very glad to hear that."  
  
The first man decided to not listen to Draco's words and say what he came to say. "We are going around asking for a little charity from every business here in town. We wish to buy the poor some meat and drink, and means of warmth this holiday season. We choose this time because this is a time of giving and sharing, a time for peace and good will toward your fellow men. What shall I put you down for?"  
  
"Nothing! I just want to be left alone! I do not make merry myself at Christmas," he sighed for having to explain this for a second time in the same day. "Therefore I cannot afford to make others merry. Let them go to the prisons and the union houses!" Draco said angrily.  
  
"Many would rather die!" the second man said.  
  
"If they would rather die, then they had better do it quickly and decrease the surplus population!"  
  
The second man gasped, "But you don't mean that!"  
  
"Yes I do. Now have a good afternoon, gentlemen!" With that he shoved them out the door and slammed it behind them.   
  
Draco leaned up against the door and sighed, "What is the world coming to, Weasley? You work hard all your life to get money, and then they expect you to give it all away!"   
  
It was relatively quiet for the next few hours. They were only disturbed when a man came in asking for an extension on his loan. He tried to explain to Draco that his youngest was ill, and that they spent most of the money on doctors and medicine. Draco replied by picking the man up by the shirt, throwing him out of his building, and saying, "No."  
  
It was then nearing seven o'clock in the evening, closing time.   
  
"How much longer do we have to stay out here?" Fred whined as he blew on his hands and rubbed them together.  
  
"You want some cheese with that wine of yours?" George asked.   
  
Fred rolled his and said, "Really, I'm starting to freeze."  
  
"It's going to toll seven right about... now!" At that precise moment the bells of London did toll seven.  
  
Inside, Ron put his quill back into its holder and stood up. He walked over to Draco's desk and said, "Sir, it's seven-quitting time."   
  
Draco took out his pocket watch, looked at it, and said, "Ah, so it is. See you at seven tomorrow, Weasley."  
  
"Sir, but it's Christmas day tomorrow."  
  
"Fine then, 7:30."  
  
"Sir, a half an hour barely seems significant for Christmas Day."  
  
"And tell me, Mr. Weasley, how long does sound significant for Christmas Day?"  
  
"Uh, well, the whole day, Mr. Malfoy," Ron said, swallowing hard.  
  
"The whole day?"   
  
"If you please, sir. I mean, there will be no other businesses open to do business with."  
  
"It's a poor excuse for picking's a man's pocket every twenty fifth of December," Draco said, standing up and putting on his own cloak, "but if you must have the whole day, then take it. But be here all the earlier the next morning."   
  
"Oh thank you, sir! I will be! I will be!" Ron put his old tattered hat on top of his head and headed for the door. "Thank you again and Merry Christmas!" He left, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Bah!" Draco finished dressing for the cold weather and then locked up his building.   
  
"Draco went home that night not knowing what the night had in store for him," George said, starting up his narration again.   
  
"Do we have to follow him?" asked Fred.  
  
"Yup, come on. It's going to be an eventful night!" He grabbed his brother's arm and the two followed Draco home.  
  
Fred and George were standing by a lamppost as Draco neared his house.  
  
"How did we get here so fast?" Fred asked.  
  
"I know a shortcut," said George.  
  
Malfoy lived in a dark house, which rarely ever saw heat or light. The house itself fit Malfoy to a tee. The shutters were in need of repair and the paint was chipping off the building.  
  
Draco walked up the same familiar path to his doorway as he did every night. But this night, as he went to unlock his door he saw the face of his dead partner Blaise Zabini in his doorknocker, groaning loudly. Draco jumped back in surprise and then stood in horror as he gazed upon the site. Draco walked back up to the door, never once allowing his eyes to stray from the doorknocker. He reached out to touch the face, but as he did, Zabini disappeared. Draco rubbed his eyes and when he reopened them, it was the same old knocker once again.  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
12/17/03 


	3. The Spirit of Blaise Zabini

"Oh, hello, welcome back," George said in his full narration state.  
  
"Yum! Want some, Charlie?" Fred asked while he munched on some jellybeans.  
  
"Not while I'm working, Fred."   
  
"Oh, sorry."  
  
"Now before we can go any further, I must remind you that Zabini has been dead and decaying in his grave for two years already."  
  
"Ew, bro, not while I'm eating!"  
  
George ignored Fred. "That one thing you must remember or nothing that follows will be wondrous," he whispered.  
  
"Why are you whispering, Charlie?"  
  
George sighed and said, "It's for dramatic emphasis." Fred looked at him strangely. "It makes what I say more eerie."  
  
"Ohhh."  
  
The two turned and watched Malfoy enter his house.   
  
"Is this guy not fazed about seeing his old, dead partner in his door knocker?" asked Fred. "I mean if I saw someone in there, I'd still be freaking out."  
  
"To say that Malfoy was not startled would be a lie."  
  
"Wow," Fred said, looking around, "everything's back to normal. It's like nothing happened."  
  
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," George said under his breath. "Come on, let's follow him!"  
  
Fred caught him by the collar and pulled him back. "Are you crazy?"  
  
"Where's your sense of adventure?"  
  
Fred sighed and said, "Fine."  
  
The two dashed to the door, but it slammed in their faces. Fred tried to open the door, but it was locked. The two backed away and George asked, "Now how are we supposed to get in there?"  
  
Fred pulled out his lock pick kit and smiled evilly. "I'll work on this and you continue with your story."  
  
George turned back to his audience and continued his story. "Malfoy lit just a single candle as he ascended his stairs. He was not afraid of the dark; dark was cheap, and so he liked it."  
  
Inside Draco walked up his stairs, alert and frightened at the same time. As he moved around his house, the audience could still hear George's voice.  
  
"But the incident at the door made him wary, and he decided to check out his other rooms before retiring to his own."  
  
Back outside...  
  
Fred stood up, turned to his brother, and said, "Okay, that does it! How do you know what is going inside there, when we're out here?"  
  
"I keep telling you, I know everything," George continued. "In order to do a proper search of his rooms, Draco was forced to light the lamps."  
  
Suddenly, the light in the upstairs window turned on.  
  
"How does he do that?" Fred asked and went back to his job of picking the lock.  
  
Back inside...  
  
Draco walked through all his rooms with his cane out, ready to attack anyone in his sight.   
  
He let out a sigh of relief as he finished searching all the rooms and found no one. He hurried to his own room, bolted himself in, lit a fire in the fireplace, and changed into his nightclothes.   
  
When he sat down in his chair, he contemplated on what he saw in his doorknocker and wondered if it was his mind playing tricks on him, or if it really was Blaise Zabini haunting him.   
  
"But why would Zabini haunt me?" He laughed at his own thought, but then felt an eerie feeling like someone was watching him. He looked around his brightly lit room and could swear he heard something strange. When it stopped, he laughed and said, "Just the wind."  
  
As soon as he said that he heard it again, but louder. It sounded oddly like... chains? Draco was beside himself; why on earth would he be hearing chains? He decided to ignore it when he heard it getting louder and closer to his door.   
  
"Go away!" he yelled at whatever was making the noise. But the sound did not go away. The fire in his fireplace went out. The room was now dark, only lit by the moonlight. "I said, go away!" He decided that there was nothing to be afraid of; his door was bolted shut. "You can't get in, whoever you are!"   
  
Then he heard a very familiar voice. "Want to bet, Malfoy?"  
  
Draco gasped, "Zabini!"  
  
As he turned his head to the door, he saw a ghostly figure, much of what looked like his partner, Blaise Zabini, walk through the bolted door.   
  
"So, Malfoy, you do recognize me."  
  
"Recognize, yes, but believe that you are here, no." He paused for just a second and then said, "What do you want with me?"  
  
"Much."   
  
"Can you sit down?" Draco asked the ghost.  
  
"I can."  
  
"Then do it, man!"   
  
Blaise walked over to the other chair and, lifting his chains so that he did not sit on them, sat on the chair.   
  
"You don't believe in me?" Zabini stated as he saw the look in Malfoy's eyes.  
  
"Why should I? You could be the result of some moldy cheese, or a crust of bread, any kind of food that didn't settle well in my stomach."  
  
Blaise Zabini laughed. He snapped his fingers and conjured up a cigarette.   
  
"Still smoking, I see. You don't quit even after it killed you."  
  
"Draco, I'm dead, and stuck in some sort of hell; what more can happen to me?"  
  
Draco only shrugged and said, "Why are you here? What do you want with me?"   
  
"Relax, man. I'm here to help you. Not to hurt you."  
  
"Help me? Help me do what?" Forgetting about his own questions, he asked, "What's with the chains?"  
  
"These chains are the links that I forged in life. For every wrongdoing, for all the evil and wicked things that I did, I made them longer. Foot by foot, yard by yard." Draco didn't know what to say. He didn't really need to say anything, for Blaise continued, "Yours were as long as mine two Christmas Eves ago, and they grow steadily every day."  
  
Draco looked about him, expecting to see these chains, but he didn't. He turned back to his partner and said, "Blaise, Blaise Zabini, speak comfort to me."  
  
"I have none to give," he replied. "How can I comfort you when I live in misery for eternity? I cannot do anything, I cannot make amends to the evil deeds that I have done."  
  
"I do not understand, why are you suffering? You were a good businessman."  
  
"That is why I am suffering! I cared for no one and nothing but myself and my money. I am suffering for all the people that have suffered because of my evil ways."  
  
"But why come to me tonight, Blaise?" Draco asked.  
  
"I do not know myself. I have stood beside you many days, invisible, trying to reach you. I do not know why I have appeared to you in a shape that you can see." Blaise stood up and threw his cigarette into the empty fireplace. "My time grows short, Draco. I am here to warn you that you have a chance to escape my terrible fate. A chance that I have gotten for you."  
  
"You were always a good friend."  
  
"You will be haunted by three more spirits."  
  
"Is this the chance you spoke of?" Draco asked, not liking the idea of it.  
  
"It is."  
  
"Then I would rather not take it!"   
  
"Without these visits, you have no chance in escaping your horrible fate. Expect the first as the bell tolls one."  
  
"Couldn't I take them all at once and get it over with?"  
  
"No!" Blaise screamed. "The second will appear to you the following night at two, and the third the day after that at three. Listen to them, do what they say, for if you don't then your fate will be worse then mine." Blaise walked to the window and opened it. "Look for me no more, Draco. For your sake and for what's left of mine, remember what has passed between us."   
  
Draco got up and followed him to the window. As he peered out, he saw the rest of the wandering, suffering spirits.   
  
"Remember, Draco. Remember."   
  
There was a bright flash, and when Draco opened his eyes again, everything was as it should have been. The window was closed, there was no wandering spirits, and he once again had a roaring fire in his fireplace. "Bah humbug!" he said and went to his bed, lay down, and pulled the curtains down.  
  
Outside...  
  
"Got it!" Fred announced.  
  
"Good job, Fred, let's go!" George exclaimed and rushed up the stairs.  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
Sorry guys for the delay on this chapter, but ever since the holidays came I've been very busy with real life and work, but have simmered down, so hopefully I'll get more chapters out.  
  
I would just like to thank everyone for their reviews and a big thank you to Becky, my beta! You are awesome girl!! :o)  
  
1/14/04 


	4. The Spirit of Christmas Past

Author Note: Out of Character 12 year olds!  
  
Thanks to everyone who has left a review! I really do appreciate it! And thanks to my beta Becky!! You are the greatest, girl! :o)  
  
~*~HP~*~D/G~*~S*G~*~HP~*~D/G~*~S&G~*~HP~*~D/G~*~S*G~*~HP~*~D/G~*~S&G~*~  
  
Draco lay awake in his bed waiting for the bells to toll one. The bells rang once. "Half past" he muttered.  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Fred and George snuck up the stairs to Draco's door. Fred walked up to it and tried the handle; it was locked. "Great, now how do we get in? These doors are bolted shut!"   
  
"Step aside," George said and he pulled out his wand. "Alohomora," he said clearly and quietly and suddenly the door opened with a quiet squeak. He put the wand back inside his jacket pocket.  
  
"You have to be kidding me!" Fred exclaimed.   
  
"Shhh," George said, bringing his finger up to his lips, "you didn't see that."  
  
"Not only is Charles Dickens now a wizard, but you had a wand this whole time!?" Fred asked quietly.  
  
"What wand?" George said as he walked into Draco's room and hid.   
  
The bells tolled again, "Quarter of," Draco sighed, annoyed. "Come on already!" Then what felt like seconds later, the bells tolled again. "The hour itself," Draco laughed smugly. "Nothing. Stupid dream!"  
  
Fred looked at George, who said, "Expect the first as the bell tolls one!"   
  
Suddenly there was a big flash of bright light, blinding the twins. Draco, who was sitting in his bed with the curtains drawn, could see the light through the gaps.   
  
"What the...?" Draco kneeled on the bed and brought back the curtains as the light dimmed. He saw an elderly man standing in front of his bed. "Are you the Spirit whose coming was foretold?"   
  
"I am," answered the man.  
  
"Who... what are you?"  
  
"I am the Ghost of Christmas Past," the man explained.  
  
"Long past?"  
  
"No, your past."   
  
Draco looked at him through questioning eyes; the Spirit looked familiar to him. "What is your business here?"   
  
"Your welfare."  
  
Draco laughed and repeated, "My welfare, well, I thank you spirit, but I do believe that a good, long, undisturbed rest is all I will need to fix that."  
  
The Spirit extended his hand to Draco and said, "Come with me."   
  
"I... I'd rather not, but maybe some other time. I mean, I'm not dressed, I'm tired and I feel a cold coming on. And I think I've got a temperature already," Draco said, raising a hand up to his face. "Yes, definitely a temperature.  
  
"This guy has more excuses than we did when we were in school," Fred mumbled. George put a finger to his lips to remind his brother that they were trying not to be heard.   
  
The Spirit did not listen to any of Draco's story. He only smiled and nodded his head. "Rise and walk with me."  
  
Draco, for the life of him, could not disobey the Spirits' command. He reached for the Spirit's hand and walked with him. When Draco saw that they were going to the window, he said, "No, I can't go out there. I'm likely to fall."   
  
"A simple touch of my hand and you will rise with me," the Spirit said.  
  
"Um... are you sure?" Draco asked.  
  
"Yes, my dear boy, I will not let you fall, I promise." The Spirit walked to the window and held his hand out again. "Come on, it is time to go, I do not have all night."   
  
Draco slowly reached out his hand to the Spirit. Just as he was about to grab it, George whispered loudly, "Let's go!" He grabbed his brother's hand and dragged him out into the open.   
  
"What...?" was all Fred was able to say when George grabbed a hold of Draco and told him to just hang on to him.  
  
"What the...?" was all Draco was able to say when the Spirit grabbed a hold of his hand, lifted all three men, and flew out the window. "What are you two doing here?" Draco asked.  
  
"Um..." was all George could say.  
  
"It's all his bloody fault! Needing to be the narrator! OW!" Fred yelled when he hit a tree.  
  
"Watch out for that tree."   
  
"Thanks for the heads up."   
  
Draco decided to just let the two boys bicker with each other and look where he was going. He saw a bright light just ahead of them. "Spirit, what is that light? It can not be dawn."  
  
"It is the past," the Spirit stated as they flew into it.  
  
"Oh wow, it's beautiful!" George exclaimed.  
  
Seconds later they were flying through the air during a new day. It was bright as though it was afternoon.   
  
The Spirit lowered them down to the ground, and Fred shouted with excitement, "That was bloody terrific, if I do say so myself!" He turned to Draco, "What did you think of it ol' boy?"  
  
Draco just sighed and rolled his eyes as George continued with his narration. "And so they arrived to Draco Malfoy's childhood days."  
  
Draco looked at George but asked Fred, "What the hell is he doing?"  
  
"He's narrating the story. He thinks he's Charles Dickens," explained Fred. Draco let out a small laugh. "Listen to him; he's pretty good at it."  
  
George could feel the eyes of Draco, Fred, and the Spirit all upon him, but he continued with his story just the same. "It was the afternoon of Christmas Eve, and Malfoy was aware of many odors, each one connected with a different memory, hope, joy, and care, long, long forgotten."  
  
Draco shrugged his shoulders and said, "I guess so." He was interrupted by a bunch of kids screaming and laughing with joy. Draco looked up in amazement.  
  
"Do you recognize this place, Draco?" the Spirit asked.  
  
"Recognize it? I was a boy here! I went to school here!" Draco exclaimed. "I know these boys! There's William Fisher, and Tony Banks, and that's Bobby Walker. Hello, boys!" he said to them.  
  
"They cannot hear you, Draco, they are only shadows from things that have been. Where are they going?"  
  
Draco looked down at his feet and said, "They are going home to spend the holidays with their family."   
  
"Come, Draco, let us move on," the Spirit said kindly to him.   
  
As the two walked into the school house they heard, "As Draco walked into the school house he was flooded with memories."  
  
Ignoring George, Draco said, "I remember it all, Spirit. I remember it all so much. The desks, the smell of the chalk."  
  
"And is he, too, familiar?" the Spirit asked as he pointed to a boy sitting alone in the corner.   
  
Draco turned to look where the Spirit was pointing, and before he could say anything, George said, "Draco looked upon a boy he knew, oh very well indeed."   
  
Draco looked at a boy around the age of 9 or 10, with short blonde hair and cool gray eyes. He gasped, "It's me!"   
  
"Why didn't you go home for Christmas?" asked the Spirit.  
  
"I wasn't wanted," Draco said quietly. He sat down at one of the desks and said, "My father turned against me when my mother died. He never wanted to see me."  
  
"It's hard."   
  
"Life is hard." Draco stated and then grew quiet.  
  
"Come, let us see another Christmas."  
  
"No, wait, wait just a moment," Draco said. He rose from his seat and started to walk towards the window. "Something else happened this day, I think at least. Didn't it, Spirit?" The Spirit only replied with a smile.   
  
As he reached the window he heard a girl screaming, "Stop it!"   
  
Draco gasped, "Ginny!"  
  
He ran outside with everyone behind him, including his younger self.   
  
Young Draco ran out of the schoolhouse, looking around to try to find the source of the screaming. "Leave me alone!" he heard the same girl scream. He ran to the other side of the school and saw a handful of boys surrounding a girl lying on the ground, crying. They were poking and throwing snow at her. "Weasley!" they shouted at her. "Poor Weasel!"   
  
Draco ran up to the boys and threw them aside. When he reached the middle, he glared at the boys and said, "Leave her alone."  
  
"Or what will you do, Ferret boy?" one of the taller boys asked.  
  
"I'll go get Headmaster Dumbledore. You know as well as I do, Flint, if you do one more thing wrong, he'll send you home for good. I don't think Mommy and Daddy would like that very much!" Flint backed down. "Now get out of here, all of you!"   
  
"Boys!" a voice called. "The last of the carriages are here to bring you home."  
  
"Come on, boys, let's leave Malfoy alone, again." Flint laughed and went on his way with the other boys in tow.   
  
As soon as they were all gone, Draco turned around and bent down. "You can get up now."  
  
"No!" the girl screamed. "Leave me alone! Don't touch me!"   
  
Draco looked down upon the girl. From what he could tell she was young, maybe a year or so younger than he was. She had long, thick, red hair and what looked to be torn hand-me-down clothes. "I'm not going to hurt you!"  
  
"Then just leave me alone and go home!"   
  
Draco sat down in the snow next to her. "I am home, sort of, I guess."  
  
The girl still did not raise her head. "You live here?"   
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Where's your family?"   
  
"Far from here."  
  
"Doesn't your mother and father want you home for Christmas?"  
  
"Don't have a mother, and my father doesn't like me very much."  
  
"I'm sorry," she said, raising her head. "But you must miss him."   
  
"Not really. I miss my sister Fan though."   
  
The girl laughed a little. "What a strange name."  
  
"Yeah, I guess it is. So tell me, ma'am," he said with a smile and stood up, "what is your name?" He held out his hand to help her up.  
  
"Virginia Weasley," she said shyly, grabbed his hand, and stood up.   
  
"Well, Virginia, my name is Draco Malfoy. It's a pleasure to meet you." He kissed her hand.  
  
Ginny giggled and pushed him, making him fall into the snow. "Hey! What was that for?" Draco said with a laugh.  
  
"You're a boy, you're not supposed to do that!"   
  
"I'm a boy who knows his manners!" He smiled and threw some snow at her; he stood up and started chasing her.  
  
"This was the day I first met her," the older Draco said. He turned around and saw Fred and George glaring at him. "Great, more brother protection!" He pointed at George and said, "You're Charles Dickens, so don't be angry with me!"   
  
Before anyone said anything, the Spirit said, "Come Draco, let us see another Christmas." The Spirit put a hand on Draco's back and the two moved on.  
  
They were still at the schoolhouse, but as soon as Draco saw himself, he knew that it had to be about two years in the future.  
  
"Draco," said a voice, and both Dracos's heads turned around.   
  
"Headmaster Dumbledore!" Draco said with a smile. "He was one of the best teachers a boy could... Hey! Wait a minute!" He turned towards the Spirit.  
  
"What? I see nothing. Let's watch," said the Spirit.  
  
"Headmaster Dumbledore, is there something that you need?" asked the younger Draco. "I was about to go see a friend."  
  
"I know, but that will have to wait. You have a visitor."  
  
"Me? I have a visitor?"   
  
Dumbledore just smiled and opened the door. "Draco!" exclaimed his visitor.  
  
"Fan?" he gasped. "Fan!" She ran over to him and hugged him.  
  
"It was indeed his older sister, Fan," narrated George. "He had not looked upon her for almost four years."  
  
Draco turned to him and said, "Oh wow, you've been quiet for so long that I thought you guys were gone."  
  
"Hardy har har," George responded.  
  
They turned their eyes back to the scene that was before them.  
  
"Fan, what are you doing here?" asked younger Draco.   
  
"I've come to take you home, Draco. Home!"  
  
"Home?" he asked. "For how long?"  
  
"For ever and ever. Father has changed, he's so much kinder then he used to be. Home is like Heaven now. He spoke so nice the other night that I was not afraid to ask him if you could come home, and he said yes, and he sent me in a cab to come get you!"   
  
"Oh Fan!" He hugged his sister once more. "That's... that's wonderful."  
  
"What's wrong? Don't you want to come home?"  
  
"No... well, I do... it's just that... well, my friend. I have to go say goodbye to her. Come and meet her!"   
  
"Um... sure!" Fan said with a smile.   
  
"I'll make sure that your stuff gets packed onto the carriage," Dumbledore said.  
  
"Oh thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore!" Draco said and shook his hand. "I shall never forget you!" He grabbed his sister's hand and said, "Come on, Fan!" With a wave to the headmaster they were gone.  
  
Fan followed Draco down the road a little to a very run down house. He knocked on the door, and an older woman answered.  
  
"Oh, well hello, Draco!"  
  
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," he said, taking off his hat.  
  
Mrs. Weasley noticed the girl and asked, "Who's your friend?"  
  
"This," he smiled, "is my older sister, Fan."  
  
"Hello dear. Will you be staying for dinner too?"   
  
"Uh, no. I have just come to meet your daughter," said Fan.  
  
"Ah, yes, she'll be just a moment." Mrs. Weasley walked to the stairs and yelled up, "Ginny dear! Draco's here!"  
  
A few seconds later they could hear her fly down the stairs. "Hi, Draco," Ginny said.  
  
"Hello, Virginia." The two just stared at each other.  
  
Fan cleared her voice and nudged her little brother. "Draco, introduce me to your friend."  
  
"Oh, yes, Virginia, this is my sister, Fan."  
  
"Hi, Fan. I've heard so much about you! Are you two staying for dinner?"  
  
Draco answered for her. "Uh, actually, Ginny, she's come to take me home."  
  
"Oh, you're going home for Christmas! That's wonderful."  
  
"Uh, well, actually..."  
  
"Draco, I'll let you two alone," said Fan. "I'll wait for you in the carriage."  
  
"Okay, thanks, Fan."  
  
"Nice meeting you, Ginny, I hope I see you again soon."  
  
"Same here, Fan," Ginny said, and Fan left. "Nice sister."  
  
"Thanks." He paused. "Uh, Ginny, I'm not..."  
  
"You're not coming back, are you?"  
  
"Well, no." There was a long pause. "But I'll see you again. Real soon."   
  
"Yeah, I'm sure of it," she said, looking down at the ground.  
  
Draco walked over to her, put a finger under her chin, and raised her head. "I will always remember you. I swore that I will always protect you and a promise is a promise." A lone tear ran down Ginny's face and he wiped it away. Through the open door he could hear the clomp of the horses hooves. He gave his friend a hug and said, "We will meet again. I swear it." He left through the door.   
  
"Draco, wait!" Ginny called and ran after him. As he turned around, he felt her hands reach up and bring his head down to hers to kiss him. She let go quickly. "Goodbye, Draco."  
  
Draco smiled widely, and his face turned pink. He waved and left.   
  
As he entered the carriage, Fan looked at him and said, "Draco...you're pink."   
  
As the carriage drove on, he heard, "Don't forget me."  
  
He turned his head and waved. "I won't! I swear it!!"   
  
The older Draco looked down and said quietly, "And I never did forget."  
  
"Come, Draco, let us see another Christmas," said the Spirit.  
  
To Be Continued... 


	5. The Past Continues

When Draco and the Spirit landed on the ground again, they were in front of an old building.  
  
"This looks familiar to me, Spirit," said Draco. "Should it?"  
  
"It should indeed," the Spirit answered.  
  
The doors opened, and a tall man with greasy black hair, a pale face, and a pointed nose emerged. "Ah, look," the older man said, "dusk has fallen! It is Christmas Eve! Time to close up for the night!" He closed the door.  
  
"That's old Snape himself!" exclaimed Draco. "Oh the dear man did love me."  
  
"Egomaniac!" Fred coughed.  
  
Draco only smirked and stepped through the wall.  
  
"Okay lads, move the desks aside!" Snape called.   
  
"Oh my lord!" Draco exclaimed. "It's the Snapes' annual Christmas party!"  
  
"The what?" Fred asked.  
  
A woman a little younger than Snape walked down the stairs and said, "The band is here, my dear."  
  
"Wonderful, we should have our first dance," he said, took his wife's hand, and led her into a dance. Everyone around them joined in.  
  
"It was true," George continued with his story telling. "It was the Snapes' Christmas party. Everyone was there..."  
  
"Wait, you mean to tell me that Snape's married?" Fred asked.  
  
Draco nodded his head and held up three fingers. "And three kids. Two girls, one boy."  
  
"Who'd a... wait a moment. Hey, George!" There was no reply from his brother. "I mean Charlie."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Doesn't that woman look strangely familiar to you?"  
  
"Yes, it's Mrs. Snape," George said.  
  
"No, it's not! It's McGonagall! She married Snape? Eww!"  
  
George sighed and said, "Fred, stop it, you are really and truly going to ruin my story!" He stomped his foot.  
  
"Oh, sorry. Well, I am off to get some food."   
  
Draco and George sat down on a nearby bench, and George continued his story. "Draco watched in amazement as he watched his sixteen-year-old self dance around the room. He could not contain himself. Draco Malfoy was alive and happy, more happy then he ever remembered."  
  
Draco's feet automatically started to dance around to the music. Suddenly the music stopped.  
  
Draco looked around the room and saw someone he recognized. "Hey, there's Blaise Zabini, my partner! Well, will be my partner or was or..." Draco sighed in frustration. "Being in the past is very confusing."  
  
"Draco continued to look around to see faces that he remembered from long, long ago, when finally he saw the crowds part and spotted her across the room. Her, the same girl who his heart would not let him forget, the same girl who had haunted his dreams for four long years, the same girl who..."  
  
"That's getting a little annoying," Draco said to George.  
  
"Sorry mate, it's my job."  
  
It appeared that as Draco's older self spotted the girl, his younger self did too.  
  
Young Draco did not know how to approach the girl, but then suddenly he saw another boy approaching her. That's when he realized that she was standing under the mistletoe.  
  
Without even thinking, he ran to her and gave her a peck on the lips.  
  
She turned towards him and slapped him. "Sir, you have no right!"  
  
"No right, my lady? I do apologize, but I only meant to save you."  
  
"Save me, sir? Pray tell, from whom where you saving me from?" she said angrily.  
  
"From the other men, my lady," he said as he looked up.  
  
She followed his eyes and noticed that she was standing under the mistletoe. She gasped and blushed. "Well, what made you think that you were the one to save me, sir?" she asked, blushing and smiling.  
  
Draco leaned down a little closer and whispered, "Because I promised I would."  
  
Ginny let out a tiny gasp and said, "Excuse me?"  
  
Draco opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by someone saying, "There you two are." It was Snape.  
  
"Oh, Mr. Snape, my father feels awful that he could not attend the party tonight," said the girl.  
  
"That is quite all right, my dear, I clearly understand." He looked to Draco, back to the girl, and said, "Well, it looks like an introduction is in order."  
  
"Actually, no sir, it's not. I already had the pleasure of knowing Miss Virginia."  
  
Ginny gasped. How did he know her? As he bowed in front of her and kissed her hand, his piercing gray eyes never left hers. She had never seen such piercing gray eyes before in all her life except for one boy.  
  
She put a hand over her mouth and gasped, "Draco?"  
  
He smiled brightly. "So you do remember me!"  
  
Ginny screamed with joy and wrapped her arms around his neck. He returned her hug and spun her around. With this Snape decided that he should leave the two alone.  
  
"Look at you!" Ginny said looking up at him.  
  
"Me? Look at you! You shrunk!" Draco laughed.  
  
"No, you finally grew!" Both Ginny and Draco laughed at that.  
  
"You look beautiful." Draco said softly. Ginny blushed and looked at her feet. "So, tell me, what have you been up to?" Draco asked as they made their way to the buffet table.  
  
"She was so beautiful," Draco said to himself.  
  
"She still is, isn't she?" the Spirit asked.  
  
"Yes," Draco said, "But what does it matter? It's all in the past now, and you can't change the past."   
  
"No, you can't, but it's never too late to correct a wrong."   
  
Draco sighed and said, "Well, Spirit, can we go home now?"  
  
"No, there are still things that need to be seen." The Spirit took Draco by the arm and led him away from the scene that he longed to be a part of again.  
  
They came across another wintry scene. This time they came across Ginny and Draco, who were holding hands and walking through a snowy park.   
  
"Thanks for coming with me, Ginny," said the younger Draco.  
  
"It was my pleasure, Draco. I like spending time with you," she said as she snuggled closer to him. "And I love weddings. Your sister looked beautiful up there."  
  
"Yeah she did. So you really like spending time with me?" he asked, smiling.  
  
"Yeah, I really do," Ginny said and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Draco, what's going on here?" Fred asked before the Spirit could.  
  
Draco smiled and said, "It's February, my sister just got married, and I'm walking Ginny home."   
  
Draco watched as his younger self stood in shock from Ginny kissing him. The two had seen a lot of each other in the past two months, but he never tried to kiss her again.  
  
"Oh Draco!" Draco heard Ginny call to him. He then suddenly felt something hard and wet hit his chest. It was a snowball! He laughed, gathered some snow into his own hands, and threw it at her. Soon the two broke out in a full-fledged snowball fight.  
  
"Mate, this is bloody sickening," Fred said.   
  
"I was in love," Draco stated.  
  
"It still looks like you are," George stated the obvious.  
  
"Shut up and narrate."   
  
"Sorry, but right now everything's self explanatory."  
  
Draco continued to watch the scene and saw Ginny slip on the ice and fall down. He watched as he saw himself run to her.   
  
"Are you all right?" his younger self asked, standing over her.  
  
"Fine. Help me up?" she said sweetly.  
  
Draco grabbed her hand and felt himself being pulled down. He fell beside her and heard Ginny laugh. Draco turned to his side and looked at her face. When Ginny opened her eyes, she saw how serious he was and stopped laughing. "Is everything okay?"  
  
"Ginny, what would you say if... if I have strong feelings for you?"  
  
"Are you saying that you do?" Ginny asked him. Draco could only nod his head. "Well, then I would demand to know what those feelings are."  
  
"Well," he swallowed and said, "What would you say if I said that I... that I love you."  
  
Ginny smiled brightly and said, "I'd probably say the same thing."  
  
Draco stood up and helped Ginny up. He then got down on one knee and said, "I know we have only been together for a few months, but I feel like I've known you for my whole life. Virginia Weasley, I would be honored if you would be my wife." He took a ring out of his pocket and held it out to her. "I love you and cannot imagine living another day without you." He noticed that she wasn't saying anything and just stared at him. "I know it's not much of a ring, but I... I can get you a big..." She sat down on his knee and kissed him.  
  
"I don't need a bigger one. I only need you." She kissed him again.  
  
"So, I take it that is a yes?" he smiled   
  
Ginny smiled and laughed, "Yes! A million times yes!" The two lovers kissed again.  
  
"Come, Draco, there is still one more Christmas left to see," said the Spirit.   
  
Draco's head popped up, and his eyes went wide. "No, please!"  
  
"Come, Draco, we must go."  
  
"No, Spirit, I just want to go home," Draco pleaded.  
  
The Spirit just shook his head and grabbed a hold of Draco; they were transported to another time.  
  
When they landed yet again, it was about four years into the future. Ginny and Draco were sitting on a bench in the park.  
  
"Yet another year goes by and you have not yet fulfilled your promise," said Ginny.  
  
"Ginny, there isn't even enough money for a decent house," said the younger Draco.  
  
"Draco, Mr. Zabini has made you his partner after being with him for only a short time. You are making more than we ever thought you would."  
  
"And still just making ends meet."   
  
"Draco, I don't need money, I don't need anything. I just want to marry you and start our lives together.  
  
Draco sighed, "Ginny, I'm doing this for you. I love you."   
  
"You did, once."  
  
"I still do."  
  
"The years change people, Draco."   
  
"I wish not to watch," the older Draco stated.  
  
"You must," the Spirit replied.  
  
"Our promise to be married is an old one. It was made when we were young and poor and content with what we had. You have changed, Draco. No longer are you the carefree man that you once were."  
  
"I was a boy."  
  
"You have found a new love."  
  
"I love no one but you."   
  
"That may be true, but something has taken my place in your heart." She paused and said, "A golden thing. You care for nothing but money these days."   
  
"That's not true, Ginny."  
  
Ginny sighed slightly and said, "Draco, I have been thinking of this for so many days, and I have decided that it is time to release you from your promise."  
  
"I have asked to be released?"   
  
"Not in words, no," Ginny answered him.  
  
"Then how?"  
  
"By a change of nature. Draco, if the things between us never occurred, would you seek me out now? Would you choose a poor girl like me over a richer person's daughter?"   
  
Draco opened his mouth but nothing came out.  
  
"Say yes! Yes you would! You know you would!" Draco yelled at his younger self.  
  
"I thought not," Ginny answered for him.  
  
"You think not," said the younger Draco.  
  
"I know you would not, my love. There would be no profit in it." Ginny removed her glove and took the ring off of her finger. "I release you with a full heart, for the man you once were." She placed the ring in his hand. "May you be happy in the life that you have chosen for yourself." With that, she stood up and walked away.   
  
"Go after her! Go! Come on! Get up man!" Draco yelled at himself with tears in his eyes.  
  
He watched as his younger self got up and walked in the opposite direction. He was about to tell the Spirit to take him home when he heard someone say his name. He turned towards Ginny and saw that she had turned around. "I will always love you." Draco stood there as he watched Ginny walk away and out of his life.  
  
"Take me home, Spirit!" Draco said with tears trickling from his eyes.  
  
"My dear boy, are you crying?" the Spirit asked him.  
  
"What's it to you?"  
  
"Nothing, but I wish to remind you that it is still all in the past."  
  
"Yes, but it still hurts," Draco said, rubbing his heart as though he was trying to soothe it.  
  
"Ah, yes, the past can hurt. But there are two things that you can do about it." Draco looked up at him. "You can either hide from it, or learn from it."  
  
"Bring me home, Spirit!" Draco yelled at him.  
  
"Remember, Draco--"  
  
"I said, bring me home!"  
  
A second later, Draco sat up quickly in his bed, breathing heavily and sweating. "Only a dream. This is the last time I'm eating supper so late at night!"  
  
He heard the bells toll two.  
  
"Expect the second ghost as the bell tolls two," Draco said.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Thanks everyone for reviewing and thanks Becky for all your help!   
  
2/21/04 


	6. The Spirit of Christmas Present

Author Note: Hey everyone, I'm back! I got two more chapters left!! Happy Holiday Season to all! Just a note: I mention Jack in this chapter. For those who don't remember, Jack is Fran's husband, young Fred's father.

Thanks Becky for your help!!

HPS&GD/GHPS&GD/GHPS&GD/GHPS&GD/G

"I said, bring me home!"

"A moment later," George continued with his narration, "Draco sat up quickly in his bed, breathing heavily and sweating."

"Only a dream," Malfoy muttered. "This is the last time I'm eating supper so late at night!"

"Malfoy, do you not see us!" Fred asked, waving his arms in the air.

"Only a dream!" he said louder.

"And the bells tolled two," George said just as the bells had indeed tolled two.

"Expect the second ghost as the bell tolls two," Draco said. He held his breath, closed his eyes, and waited; nothing happened. He cracked open one eye and let out a sigh of relief, "Nothing."

George turned towards the audience and said in a quieter voice, "Malfoy was about to lie back down when he saw light coming from underneath the door. He got up to inspect it. He slowly approached the door and took his time opening it; he did not wish to see what was behind it."

Suddenly there was a voice, "Come in and know me better, man."

Malfoy did just that and the two boys followed him.

"Hey, it's Hag…" Fred was not able to finish his sentence, for George had stomped on his foot. "Owwwww!"

"Let that be a reminder to you."

"Why you…" Everything else that was said was lost after that.

"Now back to the story," George said. "In front of Malfoy there was a feast large enough to feed the largest of families."

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" the Ghost asked Draco.

"Not in this house," Draco answered.

"Of course not, you cheapskate." The Ghost noticed the look that Draco was giving him and forced out a laugh, "I am the Ghost of Christmas Present!"

"Of course you are," Draco said.

"Have you not met any of my other older brothers?"

"How many do you have?"

"More than eighteen hundred."

"Obviously your parents didn't believe in family planning."

With that the Ghost stood up, his head almost hitting the ceiling.

Draco sighed and said, "Are you here to send me on a life changing adventure too?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well then, take me where you must." He added with a mumble, "The quicker the better… I can come home and get some more sleep."

The Ghost of Christmas Present cleared his throat and snapped Draco out of his thoughts. "Then just take a hold of my robe."

Draco did, and the two other boys grabbed hold of Draco.

"Before Draco knew it, he was on the streets of London and it was already Christmas morning," George said.

"Spirit, is it Christmas?" Draco asked.

"Yes, it is. Now come, there is much to see in such a short time," he said and started to walk down an alleyway.

"Spirit, where are we going? I do not believe I have ever been down this way."

"No, you have not, we are approaching the house of your employee Ronald Weasley."

"Weasley? Why are we here?"

"Because it is Christmas, and his family needs my blessing most of all."

"Why is that?" Draco asked.

"You must follow and find out." The Spirit continued on walking, and Draco followed closely behind.

"As Malfoy entered the Weasley household, he was amazed at what he saw: a large family with very little, but everyone was still happy."

"Oh! Look, there's little Emily," Fred said. "She's my favorite."

"Wonderful, Fred, but she can't see you," George said and then continued. "Hermione Weasley was working hard in the kitchen with her four children behind her when another one entered."

Everyone screamed for joy, "Martha! Mother, Martha's here!"

"Another one?" Draco asked. "How many kids do they have?"

"Oh Martha!" Hermione said as she hugged her eldest daughter. "Where have you been? You are late!"

"Sorry, Mother, but we worked late last night, so we slept there so we could clean up this morning."

"Now see there's a hard worker," Draco said.

"She is because she has to be," added the Spirit.

"Just then Ron and his youngest son came in through the door. But something amazed Malfoy more than anything. This young boy had a crutch."

Draco kept his eye on the little boy and said, "I didn't know Weasley had a crippled son."

"You never asked," the Spirit answered.

Draco watched as the children helped their mother in the kitchen, even Tiny Tim. For a brief moment he wished that there was something that he could do to help save this young boy's life, but that feeling soon disappeared when he heard Hermione speak again.

"You're sister came by earlier today."

"Ginny?" Draco said.

"Ginny came here? What for?" Ron asked.

"She's your sister, why the heavens can't she visit?"

"I don't know, what did she want?"

"She wanted to invite us all over for Christmas dinner."

"Did you tell her no?"

"Why can't we spend Christmas with her?" Hermione asked.

"She's in a different class than we are now."

"She's getting married to Harry Potter," Draco cringed as he heard that name, "not Draco Malfoy, so what does it matter?"

"I would rather her marry Malfoy than see her throw away her life with Harry," Ron said in a quiet voice. Draco could not believe the words he was saying.

"What? Are you mad? Did you slip and fall on some ice today?" Hermione asked. "Why ever would you want your sister to marry Malfoy? Harry is a good person; you should know that of all people, you two were the best of friends when you were younger."

"Yes, but she doesn't love him!" Ron said, letting his temper run away with him for a moment. Ron looked away from Hermione and changed the subject. "You know, I think he's getting better by the minute," he said as he watched the kids play with Tiny Tim.

"I'm sure he is, my love, I'm sure he is."

"Tell me, Spirit," Draco asked, "will Tiny Tim live?"

"I see an empty chair by the fireplace and a crutch without an owner. If things do not change the boy will die."

"Is there no chance that the boy will be spared?" Draco asked.

"What do you care?"

"That's our nephew you're talking about!" Fred yelled.

The Spirit ignored him. "What do you care if he dies? Let him do it quickly and decrease the surplus population."

"I didn't mean him!" Draco said in defense.

The Spirit came closer and said, "Who are you to judge? There are many who have died who did not deserve it, and many who are still alive who deserve death. Are you the one to decide who should live and who should die?"

"Let me make a toast!" Ron said, lifting his glass. "To the founder of the feast, Mr. Malfoy!"

"Mr. Malfoy indeed!" Hermione retorted. "If I had him here, I'd give him a piece of my mind and hope he'd have a good appetite for it too!"

"My dear, the children, Christmas Day!" Ron protested.

"It should be Christmas Day, I'm sure, when we toast to the health of a stingy, odious, hard, unfeeling man like Mr. Malfoy."

"My dear, please."

"I'll drink for your sake and the day's, not for his. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the cheap bastard!" Hermione added under her breath.

Draco forced out a small snort when he heard that. The woman had guts, he'd admit to that.

"Thanks, dear, for trying so hard."

"Anything for you, dear Ronald." Everyone started laughing.

"Come, Draco," the Spirit said, "it is time for us to move on."

Draco followed the Spirit for a while and finally they stopped in front of a very familiar house.

"Spirit, this is Fran's house," Draco gasped.

"Ah, indeed it is. Come, let us go inside."

"Draco followed silently; as he stepped into the house he looked around in awe. It had been quite a few years since Draco had laid eyes upon this house."

Draco was looking around the house when suddenly the doorbell rang and a small, excited voice screamed, "Father, they're here! They're here!" Draco recognized the little boy as his nephew Fred.

"That boy has some voice…never knew," Draco said with a shrug.

"Maybe it's because he's too afraid to raise it above a whisper to you," the Spirit responded.

"Draco's jaw dropped at the statement. Was his nephew really afraid of him? He had no time to ponder when he saw familiar faces at the door. He remembered them all from Fran's wedding and Christmases from long ago."

"Merry Christmas," everyone said when they greeted young Fred.

"Merry Christmas!" the young boy said in a happy voice and hugged the family members and friends.

Draco leaned over to George and said, "Where's that brother of yours?"

"Have you learned nothing from our time together? There is food in the other room!" George said.

"Oh, right."

"Welcome, welcome!" Jack said as he entered the front hall. "You are all just in time for the turkey. Shall we all sit down?"

Everyone followed Jack into the dinning hall and sat down in their proper places.

"Will Draco be joining us for dinner today?" an elderly gentleman asked, whom Draco remembered was Jack's father.

"Sadly no, Father. He says that Christmas is a humbug."

"A humbug!" exclaimed the lady on the other side of Jack, who was his mother. "And he believes it?"

"Very much indeed." Jack then cleared his throat, stood up, and held his cup into the air. "What shall we toast to this year?"

"Peace on Earth", "good will towards men", and "family", came from everyone at the table.

"Fred," Jack said to his son, "what should we toast to this year?"

"To Uncle Draco."

The whole room went silent. "Why, whatever for? He doesn't love you enough to be here today."

"Mother, that was uncalled for," Jack said to her.

Fred stood up on his chair and said, "Because, Grandmother, he is my uncle, Mum's brother. She loved him a whole bunch, and anyone that she loved must have some good in him. Right, Father?" Fred asked.

"You are right, my son." He raised his glass. "To Uncle Draco, may he have a healthy life and hopefully come to join our gathering next year." He smiled and winked at his son as he took a sip.

Draco could not believe the conversation that had just happened in front of him. He never noticed how much his nephew Fred was so much like his sister Fran. "Why is everyone toasting to me today?"

"I have no clue," said Fred, George, and the Spirit.

"Come, my time draws near, and there is still one more place that we must go," the Spirit said as he put a hand on Draco's back. All the while Draco thought about actually going to Jack's house next Christmas Day.

They all walked down the street and soon started to walk up the path to another house. Fred and George appeared outside the house's door, and George continued, "Draco followed the Spirit of Christmas Present to a house he'd never seen before."

"Mate, he lives in bloody London, how could he never see this house before?" Fred asked.

George rolled his eyes, "He has, but saying that he's never seen it before sounds a lot better than saying that he saw the house before, in fact he passed it many times, but never really cared to remember or find out who lives in it." George paused for a moment and then said, "Hey, actually that sounded a lot better. Let me make a note of that."

Draco rolled his eyes at the twins and asked, "Spirit, where are we?"

"You will see," he answered and walked through the wall and into the house.

Draco followed closely behind, and George and Fred followed after him.

George continued on with his narration, "As Draco went inside the house, he looked all around and was in awe."

Draco looked over at George and said, "Do I look like I'm in awe?"

"Um, no." George sighed and said, "Fine then, Draco entered the house, looked around and only noticed that a rich man lived there."

"Thanks."

"Whatever. The house was lavishly decorated for Christmas. You could tell that the people who lived here were a happy bunch."

"Where the hell is she?" came a familiar voice.

Draco peered into the other room and then stared up at the Spirit. "You brought me to Harry-Bloody-Potter's house? Was it necessary to bring me here?"

"Yes, now follow me."

Draco started to follow, but stopped as he heard Potter continue to talk to someone that Draco did not know.

"Oliver, where is she?" Harry demanded.

"Don't worry, Harry, women like to make themselves beautiful before they can be seen with their fiancées."

"Great, we'll be here for hours," Harry said.

Draco's eyes went big; did he just insinuate that Ginny was not already beautiful? He looked at his annoying narrators and said, "You guys don't mind him marrying your sister?"

"He may not be the greatest, but he does love our sister in some way. Besides, we have no say, and Ginny's not going to wait around for her Prince Charming forever, you know," Fred stated.

Draco looked at him and wondered if he was directing that statement to him.

"Draco, we must move," the Spirit called.

Draco snapped out of his revere and continued up the stairs behind the Spirit.

"Draco and the Spirit stopped at a single door, and Draco walked through first," George said. "When Draco entered the room, he stopped suddenly. His eyes fell upon a woman more beautiful than he ever saw before."

"Ginny," Draco said in a short breath.

"Since that dreadful day five years ago, Draco had neither spoken to nor seen Virginia Weasley, and here she was now, sitting in front of a vanity mirror looking deeply at herself."

Ginny clutched at the necklace around her neck; it was the first gift that Draco had ever been able to afford to give to her. He didn't even know why she still had it and kept wearing it for that matter. "Oh, Draco," she said as a single tear ran down her face.

All of a sudden the door to her room opened wide, and her mother came into the room.

"Dear, are you ready yet? Harry is getting a little impatient down there."

Ginny sighed and started to cry. "Oh Mother!"

"What is wrong?" Mrs. Weasley went running to her daughter and held her in a tight grasp.

"Am I doing the right thing by marrying him?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, deary, it's just some cold feet."

"No, Mother, it is not. I am not feeling anything towards Harry. I want to, Mother, oh how I want to, but I can't."

"You do know that Harry loves you dear, maybe in time…"

Ginny laughed, "Harry does not love me, Mother. I know what being loved feels like."

Her mother got stern with her. "Virginia, you listen to me now. You have been waiting around for Draco for five years now." Draco's eyes went wide once more. Did she still love him, after all these years?

"I have not," Ginny said in self-defense.

"You have, my dear. You have to let go of such childish thoughts and move on. The reason why you do not feel Harry's love is because you do not give him the chance. He does love you, my dear. He does."

"You're right, Mother." Draco's heart felt like it tore in two all over again.

"Of course I am. Now fix your eyes and come downstairs. Your brothers will be here soon."

Ginny smiled and said, "I'll be down in just a moment."

"That's a good girl," Mrs. Weasley said, turned around, and walked away.

Ginny turned around and looked in the mirror once more. She reached up behind her and unfastened the necklace. "Mother is right," Ginny said to herself, "I have to put you away, now and forever." She then walked to the window, opened it up, and threw it as far as she could. She waited until she heard a faint clink as it hit the ground. She closed the window and sighed sadly.

Draco watched as Ginny got up and went to the door. "Ginny, wait!" he yelled as though she could hear him. She closed the door before Draco could reach her.

"That's what you should have done five years ago," said the Ghost of Christmas Present.

When Draco turned around, he, Fred, and George were no longer in the house, but were outside on a cold, foggy night in.

"Spirit, where are you?" Draco asked. "Where are we?" he called out to George and Fred.

"Um… the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is on its way," Fred said.

"It is?" Draco asked as the bells started to toll three.

"Yup, uh, Draco, it's been fun and all, but we'll see you after this part of the story ends. We hope it works out for you," George said as he and Fred were creeping away.

"I don't think so!" Draco said as he grabbed both of their collars and held tightly. "You two have been a thorn in my side since this whole thing started. You aren't going to leave me now."

As the three of them turned around, they almost collided into what looked like a Dementor.

To Be Continued…


	7. The Spirit Of Christmas Yet To Come

Author Note: Hello everyone, this is my second to last chapter and when my beta, Andromeda Silver, read over it and corrected it, she and her sister IceQueen1 had a little fun with my chapter. It was really hilarious. I kept some stuff in here of theirs. Anything in **BOLD** is what they added in. Anything with means from that point to the other means that's all their work! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I did!

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Draco, Fred, and George stood there and gulped, all louder than the next. Draco let go of the two boys' collars and asked, "Are you the Spirit of Christmas Yet To Come?"

The Spirit only nodded.

"I fear you the most."

Once again the Spirit said nothing.

"Will you not speak, Spirit?"

The Spirit nodded once more, stretched out his arm, and with his skeletal hand, pointed out into the distance.

Fred leaned a little closer to Draco, while still staring with wide eyes at the Spirit and said, "I wouldn't piss him off if I were you."

"No shit," Draco said nervously. "Well, uh, Spirit, please, let's start. I know that I have much to learn this night."

The Spirit took hold of Draco's shoulder and then suddenly the scene changed. They were no longer outside but now inside a warm house.

George had once again started his narration. "Draco saw in front of him a woman, one he knew he had seen before, but could not remember where. The woman sitting there no longer had the love and joy in her heart that he somehow knew she had once, long ago."

"Mummy! Mummy!" came the voices of two little children.

"Oh my darlings, I am in here!" she called.

The boy and his twin sister came running into the room. "Mummy!" They jumped in her lap and gave her a hug.

"How are you, children? I have missed you so!" She hugged them even harder.

"Mum, we were just gone for a little while!" the young boy said.

"Yes, Mummy, and Jeannette said that one day the dog will be bigger than the two of us and soon it will be walking us!" the young girl said, and the two children started to giggle.

She smiled warmly at her children and would thank Jeannette, her housekeeper personally for taking care of the dog, for she had not the strength to take care of it. "Your father just had to give you that dog."

"Well, you do know, Mummy, Father did say that we could have anything after missing our birthday last month!" the little boy said.

"Yes, I know he did."

The little girl looked at her mother and said, "Mother, what's wrong? It looks as though you were crying."

"Oh, it's nothing, my dear. Mummy just found out that one of her very dear and old friends has just… well, just went on a very long vacation."

"Who is it, Mum? We know everyone of yours and Father's friends," the boy asked.

"Oh, no one you know, James dear. I was childhood friends with him."

"**Oh. How come only childhood friends? What did he do? Did he make you cry? Did he call you mean names like I call Lily? Can I have a cookie?" James asked.**

The woman started to laugh with her whole heart at that comment.

Suddenly the door opened and they heard a man say, "Why is there no one here to greet me?"

Draco recognized the voice of the man. "Harry Potter? This is Harry's house. That's Ginny?" He watched as the children got up and ran to their father in the front hall, but then noticed that Ginny did not seem at all excited that Harry had returned home. She walked slower than she normally did, no more happiness or spring in her step.

"What has he done to you?" Draco asked as though she could hear him.

Just as he said that, Ginny stopped. Draco froze in his spot; could she hear him? She whispered, "Oh if I could see you one last time, Draco." A single tear ran down her face. She looked in the mirror that was there and touched her hair and the skin on her face. "But what would you think of me now?" She touched her neck right where he knew the pendant on her necklace always fell. "I regret…"

"Virginia!" called Harry.

Ginny picked her head up and ran to go greet her husband.

Draco turned to the Spirit and said with eyes as wide as saucers, "Spirit, you must tell me if this is what will happen to Ginny! She is a free spirit with love and happiness. I would not be able to stand it if this is what to come of her. This cannot come of her! Tell me!"

"**Dude," said Fred, "are you missing the fact that the Spirit isn't allowed to talk anymore?"**

**George added, "And you gotta remember…right now, you have no _choice_ but to stand it. And I must say, I am wondering where the hell you've been if you're such a good friend of hers. Why'd you let her marry mean, ol' drunken Harry The Bastard, eh? She mentions _childhood _friends, so you've been letting her suffer alone for quite some time. I doubt very much you went and joined the foreign legion!"**

Draco stiffened. "Well, where are you two? You're her brothers!"

Before either one could answer Draco, George nudged Fred and said, ""Whoa, pissing the scary death looking thing of."

"**How can you tell? He hasn't got a face!" Draco stated.**

"**I know these things. I'm the narrator."**

Draco sighed, not wanting to hear them argue anymore and said, "Just continue with your narration."

Fred and George chorused, "Right! Now where were we?"

The Spirit pointed to a spot behind them. As Draco turned around they were no longer in Ginny and Harry's house, but in an alleyway on a rainy day in London.

"Draco had then appeared in the streets, where four gentlemen, some whom he knew, were talking about something. Something horrible, or maybe not, who really knows." George said.

"**I thought you were the narrator and knew everything?" Draco asked.**

"**Did I?"**

"**Yes."**

"**No, I didn't." George said.**

"**Yes, you did."**

"**Didn't."**

"**Did!" Draco shouted.**

"**FUTURE! PAY ATTENTION!" And Fred smacked him upside the head.**

"I don't know what happened, I just know that he's dead," said one man.

"**One could then presume he _DIED_ then, wouldn't you agree?" Said another.**

"When did this occur?" asked another.

"Just last night."

"I thought he'd never die," added a third.

"I don't care that he died, I just want to know what happened to all of his money."

"Well, he didn't give it to me, that's for bloody sure."

"**He burned it."**

"**Really?"**

"**No, but that's what I'd do."**

"It's likely to be a cheap funeral, I don't know a soul who would go to it."

"I guess that's the way he would have wanted it, cheap and all. The man never had any friends."

"Well, I think I'm going to go," spoke the fourth man for the first time in all the conversation. Everyone else went silent and stared at him, as though he was crazy. "If lunch is provided, that is."

All the men burst out laughing and walked away as they continued to talk.

"I know some of those men, Spirit. Who is this poor wretch that they speak of?"

**Fred sighed. "You know, we've been at this alllllllllllll night. Who's horrible past and present have we been witnessing? Percy's? I think not."**

The Spirit did not answer him, only pointed once again and took them to another place.

This time he brought them into a small building down a deserted alleyway.

**Fred glanced around, then poked his head around the corner of the building. "Hmm. That's odd. I don't remember this many alleyways in London. Especially not deserted ones."**

"**You're right," George muttered, "and isn't London one of the most populated cities in England?"**

"**Wow…imagine how freakishly empty everywhere else is."**

They saw one man sitting at a desk, and three people coming in through the door talking, and screaming with one another.

The man behind the desk got up and said, "Okay, okay! Enough jabbering. Let's see what you've brought for me today," he said, rubbing his hands together.

"Allow me to go first, ladies," said a tall, young man, "for I only have one thing." He took something out of his pocket. "Here you go, Joe, cufflinks. Come straight from France, they do."

Did the man ever buy something from France before?" Joe said, putting an eyeglass to his eye to inspect the items.

"**Do I look like a international jewelry exchange? NO! But they say _Made in France _right on the side!"**

"**You stole them from an Englishman's house, in England. We'll say they're from Japan. Okay, I'll give you seven shillings."**

"**Seven shillings?" asked the man.**

"Yes, now be off with you!" said the fat old man.

The young man took his money and left the building.

"Okay, ladies, who's next?" Joe asked with a sinister smile.

"I am, Joe," said the older woman, who was missing her two front teeth. She handed him a large bundle. "It's his bed curtains, rings and all."

"You took them down with him still lying there?" Joe asked the woman.

"I did indeed. And look what else is in there."

"Blankets too? They're still warm," Joe said, running his hands over them. "Did you take them right off him?"

"Well, why not, he's not going to need them where he's going."

They all laughed.

"Not too shabby, Mrs. Dilbert. I shall give you one pound and two shillings."

"One pound, two shillings?" the woman asked.

"**Is there an echo in the building!"** Joe shouted. "YES! One pound and two Schillings!" after calming down he said, "I always give women too much," and he handed the woman her money.

"I guess I'm last, Joe."

"So you are, my dear Ms. Patty, so you are. And what have you found for ol' Joe?"

"Oh, nothing too much, just this." She handed him a velvet pouch, which caught Draco's eye.

He dumped the contents out into the palm of his hand and out came a ring; the ring that he gave to Ginny a long, long time ago, or at least looked like it.

"Spirit, that looks like…"

"Shhhhh," **Fred shushed him around his mouthful of conjured popcorn. "This is the good part!"**

"Well, well, Ms. Patty, this is some ring indeed," Joe said as he held it up to his eye. "Are you sure you didn't steal it from somewhere else? It doesn't seem that a cheap, lonely, bastard like him would ever have a reason to have something like this."

"I didn't steal it! Well, I did, but it was indeed right from his room, it was!"

"I shall give you three pounds, six shillings, and two pence for it!"

"What?"

"**I swear to God, if you repeat the price back to me…" **he warned and then said, "Well, it is a tiny diamond indeed." The two of them laughed.

"A tiny diamond? A tiny… Spirit, tell me, who is this man they speak of, this man who has brought such happiness to these people in death?"

The Spirit did not answer him. "Then show me, Spirit. Show me some tenderness connected with death."

**Fred started to laugh, but began choking on his popcorn before his brother started pounding on his back with both fists.**

The Spirit pointed once again, in an abstract, undisclosed direction. As Draco turned, they were outside the Weasley's House. "Ah, the Weasley's home. There is always some sort of happy festival going on here."

"Draco then peered through the window and noticed that something was not right at all. A sort of sadness had fallen over the Weasley household."

"What happened?" Draco asked George.

"You will soon find out," George answered.

The Spirit pointed towards the house. Draco said, "I do not wish to go in there, for I fear I know what has happened."

"**Then what the hell did you ask us for?" George demanded, and was promptly ignored.**

**The Spirit, fed up with this pointless pointing, grabbed Draco about the shoulders and drop kicked him through the second story window. An echoing scream, followed by a series of rather loud crashes and banging, let the party of three out in the yard know that Draco, the bungling nit, had managed to stealthily penetrate the somber Weasley household.**

"Draco noticed that house looked just as it had before when he visited there with the Spirit of Christmas Present, but now as he looked upon the family's faces he did not see the love and warmth that was there before."

"Mother, you have been crying again," announced one of her daughter Katie.

"I have not," Hermione sniffed, whipping her eyes, "It's the dim light in the house; it's bothering my eyes." She noticed that her lies did nothing to help her daughter, and in turn her daughter started to cry. "Oh, my dear, do not cry. Your father shall be home soon, and we would not want to show sad eyes to your father for anything in the world."

Soon the door opened and Ron appeared. "Hello, my dears."

"How was the church yard?" Hermione asked.

"It's green there now! I picked a spot on the hill so he can see the ducks on the river. Tiny Tim always…" Ron could not finish his sentence.

"Tiny Tim always loved to watch the ducks on the river," Hermione finished for him.

"It would have done you some good to have gone with me, Hermione."

"One day, I shall go and visit with you. I will bring him fresh flowers and plant them every Sunday."

"I'm sure he would like that."

A little while later they sat down at the table to eat.

"Well, who would like to say the blessing " Hermione asked.

"No one wants to do a blessing, mother," her son, Peter said, "there is nothing to bless."

"Don't say that, my boy," Ron said to him.

"What is there to bless then, Father?" Peter asked.

Ron raised his glass and said, "To Tiny Tim, one who we shall never forget, and never forget the things that we have learned from him."

The rest of the Weasley family raised their glasses and said, "To Tiny Tim."

Draco turned to the Spirit with tears in his eyes. "Please tell me that these are only shadows, things that I can help change so they do not end up this way. Please?" Draco said in a begging tone.

The Spirit once again took a hold of Draco's arm and suddenly the scenery had changed to a cemetery. The Spirit pointed ahead of them. Draco looked to where he was pointing and saw a lone headstone by itself, as though no one wanted to be anywhere near it.

"Tell me, Spirit, whose death was it that brought such happiness to them all?"

The Spirit would not answer and kept his finger pointed straight ahead. Draco walked to the tombstone and knelt before it. He looked up at the Spirit with tears still in his eyes. "Whose grave is this, Spirit? Whose grave is this, all alone and unloved, without a single live flower on it?"

The Spirit said nothing again. Draco then started to clear the weeds off of it and saw his name on there. Draco stood up quickly and said, "Why show me these events if they cannot be changed? I know that they can be. A life can be made right if only given a second chance! Please, Spirit, give me that chance."

"**NEVER!" roared the Spirit. "If you're so stupid that you couldn't figure out half of this before this point, you don't DESERVE a chance, you ignorant hick! GOD that feels good to say!"**

"Then why would you show me this if I am past all hope?"

"**Because he delights in your suffering," answered George.**

"**Distant cousin to the Dementors, you know," added Fred. **

"I will live my life in the past, the present, and the future!"

Suddenly, the ground beneath him cracked open and he almost fell into it. "Oh no, Spirit, no, no! I am not the man I was! Have mercy! I will know Christmas in my heart and keep it all year, just like the song says! I will remember what the Spirits have taught me this night and keep it always with me all year, every day! I swear it!" He looked behind him and saw fire rise up from the bottom. "I will change! I will!"

Before anything else could be said or done, the ground opened even more and Draco Malfoy fell into the fiery hell below.

"**Well, that fucking sucks," said George.**

"**Indeed," agreed Fred**.

To Be Continued…


	8. The Finale

Author Note: Okay, so after reading what my betas wrote, I must admit that Harry is pretty evil and Draco is pretty sappy, my betas have expressed their feelings throughGeorge and Fred,but that's the way the story went. So, yes, Harry is a mean in this chapter.

Dedication: I dedicate this story to my two friends, Becky and Manda,who have beta my story and added a few fun parts in here. Everythingin **BOLD**is everything that they have added in! Thanks a lot guys!

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"I will change! I will!"

Before anything else could be said or done, the ground opened even more and Draco Malfoy fell into the fiery hell below.

"Well, that fucking sucks," said George.

"Indeed," agreed Fred. **"Glad I'm not him."**

"**Wait…if we're the narrators, don't we have to follow him?"**

Draco suddenly hit a rather soft spot, instead of the expected pit of flames and doom. He stopped screaming and slowly opened his eyes. He noticed that he was in his own bed. He sat straight up and did something he had not done in a long time: he actually cracked a genuine smile.

"My room!" He looked at his bed curtains and tugged on them gently. "They're still here, rings and all!" He jumped out of his bed and ran to his dresser where he pulled open a drawer and emptied out everything until he found the velvet pouch. He opened it up and spilled the content that was in it into his hand. It was Ginny's ring. It was still there.

"**Of course," Fred muttered, from his position on the canopy. "Why he thought that would be missing when clearly everything else was still here is a mystery."**

He looked around his room and said, "The Spirits gave me another chance."

"**Was that not the _whole point_ of this story?" George asked. **

"**I think it was."**

"**He doesn't seem to have been paying a whole hell of a lot of attention."**

"**No, he doesn't."**

Draco ran to his mantle and looked at the painting of Blaise Zabini hanging over it and said, "Thank you, Blaise, thank you!" He could swear that for a moment he actually saw the painting smile at him.

"**Of course, why that would be unusual, since this is, after all, a _wizard_ painting, is beyond me," Fred muttered. **

The bells of London started to ring. He ran to his window and threw it open. "What day is it, I wonder?"

"**Doesn't he have a calendar?" George asked.**

"**Evidently not."**

"**We should get him one as a present."**

**Fred stared at his brother. "Present?"**

"**All right, all right. We'll 'suggest' it for the Yankee Swap next year."**

"**That's better."**

"**Cheap skate."**

Draco looked down to the streets and saw a boy walking and he screamed down to him, "Boy!"

The boy had stopped and looked up to Draco at the window, "Are you talking to me?"

"Yes, I am. Tell me, boy, what day is today?"

"Well, today is Christmas Day."

"Christmas Day?" Draco echoed.

"Aye, the day that comes after Christmas Eve."

"The Spirits did it all in one night and why shouldn't they, they can do anything."

"Okay," the boy said, edging away from the insane man.

"No, wait boy!"

"What now?" the boy asked, annoyed.

"You know the turkey in the butcher shop down the street? The one in the window?"

"You mean the one as big as I am?"

"Yes. Is it still there?"

"Aye."

"Good lad. Go and buy it for me, in my name, and bring it back here."

"What are you, serious?" The boy asked confusedly.

"Do it and I shall give you a shilling."

"Really?" The boy said, his tone flat.

"Do it in less then ten minutes and I'll give you two!"

The boy didn't say anything he just ran off.

Draco walked away from the window, and rubbed his hands together, warming them from the cold. "I'll send them to Weasley's house. He won't know who sent it."

"**Wait," George asked. "There are six Weasley houses. Which Weasley are you sending it to?"**

"**If he were smart, he'd send it to us, with us saving his soul and crap."**

"**We've already proven he's not that bright."**

Draco laughed. "Wait until they see that, what a feast they will have!" He quickly got dressed, grabbed his coat, top hat, and cane and walked out the door; only to walk back in, grab the velvet pouch and put it in his coat pocket.

He walked out of his house just in time to meet up with the butcher who was running down the alleyway with the turkey.

"Mr. Malfoy, this boy says you wish to buy this turkey."

"Indeed I do." He turned to the lad and said, "Thank you, my boy," and gave him three shillings instead of the two that he had promised. The boy ran off with a smile on his face screaming, "Merry Christmas!"

"Mr. Malfoy?" the butcher interrupted.

"Ah, yes, my good man," Draco said while paying the man. "I need you to bring this to the Weasley's home on Durmont Lane, Number 32. But you can't tell them who it's from." He laughed. The butcher just stared at him. "Oh, what am I thinking! You can't carry that all the way there. You'll need to take a cab." He handed him some more money.

"Thank you, sir," the butcher said laughing along with Draco.

"No, thank you, and remember, no telling them who it's from."

"Yes, sir, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas!" Draco responded.

Draco walked down the streets wishing everyone he saw a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holiday and then suddenly he came across two familiar faces.

"Ah, Merry Christmas, gentlemen. Weren't you the two who came around my office yesterday looking for donations?"

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, and yes you made it very clear yesterday that you did not wish to donate anything," one said and they turned to walk away.

Draco called after them, "But yesterday I was a very different person." The two turned around and looked at Draco in confusion. "I wish to donate a hundred gold coins."

The two men's eyes went wide. "A hundred gold coins?"

"Yes, and not a penny less," he said. "Come tomorrow and pick the money up. Oh yes, and Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too, sir!"

As Draco continued down the road he collided with two people. "Oh, I'm so sor…" when he noticed who it was he said, "You two?"

"Aye, us two." Fred said.

"How did you guys get out of the future?"

"I'm the narrator. I can do anything." George said. **"We've been here the whole time, you've just been ignoring us." **

"**As usual, you sonofabitch," Fred muttered. **

Draco looked at Fred. "And I am the narrator's brother!" Fred explained.

"Ah-ha. Hey, I just want to thank you all for what you guys did."

"**What is this, your Oscar speech? And for the record, you don't use 'you all' when referring to two people, you grammatically incorrect yak. It's 'you two' or just plain 'you'. Honestly, Hogwarts needs to make an English program in their curriculum," Fred said.**

"Aw, it was nothing," George said.

"No, I feel that if you weren't there I would have missed the really little things."

"**Ahem, you _did!_ Did you not pay any attention the whole of last night with the Spirits and the time traveling? Why do you think we're here, for the company?"**

"**Yeah, this is community service work. And _not_ the volunteering type." **

"So, off to see Fred, your nephew," George told him.

"**No, I'm not," Draco answered.**

"**You're not?" George asked. "Why not?"**

"**Yeah, and while we're at it, why did you let your sister name her son after me? There are a billion names in the world, and she had to pick mine! Do you have any idea how confusing it is narrating about someone with your own name?"**

Draco gasped, "You mean you don't know where I'm going? And here I thought the narrator knew everything."

"**I do know everything, and this just proves that _you_ don't know where you're going," George corrected. **

"Well, I have somewhere to stop before I go to my nephew's and hopefully I'm not too late," he said before running off.

"No! Wait! You're ruining my story! You're changing everything!" George shouted. "Fred, he's changing the whole ending around!"

"Mate, I think he's making it better though. For someone else too."

"Let's follow him," George said, and off they went.

"Draco walked to the familiar house that he saw one too many times the night before. He stopped at the front gate and swallowed hard; he was far more afraid now then when he first saw the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come," George whispered.

"GO HOME!" Draco screamed at George. "I don't need anymore narration."

"**Obviously you do because you're not doing what we TOLD you to do!" yelled Fred**.

"Move your arse!" George screamed.

Draco opened the gate and walked up the stone path to the front door. He used the doorknocker and waited. It wasn't long before someone answered the door.

"Merry Christmas," the housekeeper said.

"Merry Christmas," Draco responded. "I would like to speak with Miss Virginia if she is here."

"Of course she is here, please come in."

"Thank you," Draco said while walking into the house and removing his hat.

"May I ask who is calling?" the housekeeper asked.

"Just tell her it's an old friend."

"Yes sir." The woman and ran up the stairs to find Ginny.

Draco hung his hat and coat on a little hook on the wall and he leaned his cane against the wall.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" asked a voice.

Draco turned and saw that Harry had just walked into the room. "Ah, Merry Christmas, Potter."

Harry only repeated his question. "I ask you again, what are you doing here?"

"I have come to talk to Virginia," Draco answered.

"Over my dead body!" exclaimed Harry.

"That can be arranged."

"Ah, there's that charm that Ginny loved so much that she dumped you on your arse and came crawling back to me."

"Crawling, Potter? You always were an exaggerator."

"Ha, you wish! The only reason why Ginny got away from you is because you didn't know how to use her properly. I got her wrapped around my little finger." Draco's face burned. "She comes when I call her, she brings me my slippers and the paper, and she lights my pipe. She's like my little..."

Before Harry could finish his sentence Draco punched Harry square in the jaw.

"You bastard! I'm going to have a fat lip now for my wedding!" yelled Harry.

Harry tried to punch him back, but Draco was too fast for him and moved out of the way to see Harry fall on his face.

"That's even if there is going to be a wedding," Draco said leaning over Harry.

Harry grabbed Draco's leg and pulled it out from underneath him, making him fall to the ground too. Draco muttered to himself, "I should have seen that one coming."

"Yes, yes you should have." Harry then lifted his leg and slammed his heel as hard as he could right in Draco's chest, making him lose his breath.

"Boys, stop this!" Ginerva said as she came running down the stairs.

The two men stood up; Draco took a little more time since he was still trying to catch his breath.

"What's this all about?"

Draco glared at Harry, and Harry turned to Ginny. ""I was only defending you my love, he was saying such evil things about you."

Draco said, "That's a lie, Potter!"

Before either could do anything, Ginny said, "Draco, what are you doing here?"

Draco walked up the few steps to meet her. He stood in front of her and took her hands in his. "I have come to apologize, but I fear that I am too late." He looked at her, and noticed that she still had the necklace around her neck. "You're still wearing the necklace."

Ginny put one hand on her chest and covered the locket with her hand. "I must admit I almost did give up hope."

"Please say you didn't give it all up."

"No, I still have a little bit left," she said with a smile on her face.

Harry sighed in disgust, "Virginia, don't forget, we're getting married tomorrow."

"Don't hold your breath, Potter," Draco said without even turning towards him. "Please, don't marry him." Ginny's eyes filled with tears. She opened her mouth to say something, but she never got the chance to say anything. "He won't make you happy. He doesn't love you."

"Neither do you, Malfoy!" Harry screamed at him.

"That's not true," Draco said.

"Do you, Draco? Do you still love me?" Ginny whispered.

"I…I do. I always have. Somewhere beneath my cold heart I have always loved you."

**Outside the window, Fred and George stuck their fingers down their throats while gagging and hacking, their faces contorted in horrible pain.**

"I have waited a very long time for you, Draco, and I don't want to wait anymore," Ginny said sadly.

"**God, if you love us, you'll deliver us from this horrible torture!" Fred screamed and shook his fist towards the sky.**

"**I think when we followed that nit that last time through the fiery chasm we ended up in Hell!" groaned George. "I didn't think that we were so horrible that we deserve this kind of punishment!"**

Draco could not believe what she was saying, "Ginny, believe me, I have changed."

"Have you? What makes you say this?"

"I was visited last night by three Spirits and two annoying boys who showed me my path, and it's with you, Ginny. It was always with you. I was just too stupid to see it."

"**Actually, it was a short, pointless life filled with misery and loneliness, you dip shit," Fred said.**

"**At least he finally admitted that he's stupid," added George. "Probably the best we could hope for."**

Ginny said nothing to him, and Harry just laughed and said, "Spirits!"

"I see that my stupidity has lost me everything." Draco took the velvet pouch out of pocket and handed it to Ginny. "All I ask is that you remember me," he said, holding back tears and backing down the stairs. "Merry Christmas,Virginia."

Draco grabbed his hat, coat, from the hook off the wall and grabbed his cane. He then turned to Harry and said, "Sorry about the intrusion." He left.

"Good riddance!" Harry yelled after him as the door closed behind him.

Outside… 

"What happened, mate?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, where's our sister?" George added.

"Still inside with Potter," Draco said, not stopping to talk.

"What? Why?" the twins asked in unison.

"She doesn't believe that I have changed. She doesn't love me anymore. I was too late."

"Aw, I'm sorry, mate."

"Yeah." The two continued to follow. Draco then stopped and said to the two boys, "Please, stop following me. You did what you came to do, now leave me to find a new path."

"**Actually, you're still doomed to that life of misery and loneliness," corrected George.**

"But where are you going?" Fred asked.

"To spend the day with someone who does still love me," Draco said and walked off.

"Where?" Fred asked George.

"To his brother-in-law's house," George said, smacking him upside the head.** "You've been hanging around Draco the Dumbass far too long."**

Meanwhile inside Harry's house… 

"What was that that he gave you?" Harry asked Ginny, not too happy that his day was already starting off badly.

Ginny opened the pouch and dumped the contents into her hand. It was the engagement ring that Draco gave to her so long ago. Ginny stood there in shock. She had no idea as to why he would still have this.

"Well, what is it?" Harry asked angrily.

"Oh, just a pendant," she said, slipped it back into the pouch, and ran back up the stairs.

Back to Draco the 

**Draco walked up the stairs to an oh-so-familiar house and knocked on the door. The housekeeper answered it. **

"Merry Christmas, sir. May I help you?"

Draco stepped inside, removed his hat, and said, "Is your master at home?"

"Yes, sir, he is. He's in the dining hall with his guests," the woman said.

"Thank you."

"Shall I announce you?"

"Oh, no, let's make this a surprise, shall we?" Draco said with a smile.

"Yes, sir," the woman said and took his hat, coat, and cane from him. "Shall I show you the way?"

"Oh, no, I know the way quite well."

Inside the dining room everyone was eating and talking loudly when suddenly the door opened and someone cleared his throat. Everyone looked to where the sound came from, and when they saw who it was, the whole room fell silent.

"Hi Jack, it is I, Draco. I've come for dinner, if you'll still have me."

Jack stood up and walked over to him. "Of course I'll still have you." He shook Draco's hand. "Of course, brother," Jack said with a wide smile, which made Draco smile back.

Suddenly little Fred ran up to Draco and flung his arms around his waist. "Merry Christmas, Uncle! I knew you would come."

Draco picked up the small boy and said, "I thought that you didn't like me."

"You don't look so scary when you smile. In fact, it looks like Mum's, doesn't it Dad?"

Jack looked and tried to sound astonished, "Well, it surely does, my son, it surely does."

The next morning… 

It was 8:15 and Ron ran into Malfoy's office, sat at his desk, and started working.

"Weasley," Draco called. Ron raised his head. "Come here."

Ron stood up and slowly made his way over to Draco's desk. "Yes, sir?"

Draco stood up and said, "Do you know what time it is?"

"I know I'm late, Mr. Malfoy, but Christmas is only once a year, and we were making rather merry yesterday." Draco stared at him with an icy glare. "I mean it won't happen again."

"I'm sure it won't. In fact I know that it won't happen again." Ron's eyes went wide; he knew that he was going to get fired. "You have taken advantage of my charity for far too long, therefore," he paused for dramatic effect, "I've decided to give you a raise and make you my partner! Ha!"

Ron's eyes went wide, "What?"

"Merry Christmas, Ron!" He held out his hand.

Ron only backed away. "What happened to you?"

"I have no idea, but believe me, Ron, I want to help you with your finances and make life a little better for you and your family. If you will let me, that is, and together we can save Tiny Tim."

"Tiny Tim? How did you know about him?"

"Believe me, I have my ways." He smiled. "So, what do you say, partner?" He held out his hand.

Ron smiled and shook the man's hand, "Okay."

"Now, give me everyone's files and let's extend their loans!"

Ron gave Draco another weird look, but shrugged his shoulders and did it anyway.

Later that morning… 

"You should take the rest of the day off. Go home, get your wife and kids, and take them to your sister's wedding."

"I can't," Ron responded.

"Why, that stupid Potter wouldn't let her invite you?"

"No," said another voice. "It's because she called it off."

Draco looked up and saw Ginny standing in the doorway.

"Ah, so how long have you been there?"

"For a while now."

"Ah, sir, if you don't mind, I think I'll still take that invitation and take the rest of the day off," **said Ron, running for the door and jamming his hat on even as he spoke. "Hi-bye Ginny!"**

"Oh, and Weasley?"

"Yes, sir?"

"What did I tell you about calling me 'sir'?"

Ron sighed and said, "What do you want?"

"Now that's more like it! With your free afternoon, go look for a bigger house, you can't bring up all those kids in a house like yours."

Ron was too astonished to say anything, but before he left he kissed his sister on her cheek and said, "We're going to be able to help Tiny Tim now."

"I know. I heard, go tell Hermione," said Ginny.

"**Toodle-loo!"**

Draco and Ginny were now the only two left in the building.

"So, how was it that you heard?"

"**That's your first question?" Ginny asked.**

"**Fred and George told you, huh?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**Well, those boys do know everything, don't they?" **

"**Yeah, they do."**

"**That's 'cause we're the narrators!" Fred and George chorused from their position at the window.**

Then there was this awkward silence. Then Draco cleared his throat and said, "Ah, so, what made you call off the wedding?"

"I asked Annie, the housekeeper, told me everything that Harry said."

"So, you finally found out about the real Harry Potter, huh?"

"In a way, I always knew."

"**Yet you were going to marry the bastard anyway?" Ginny just stayed quiet, "Well, how did he take it?"**

"He's not too happy. Especially when I told him that the reason why I didn't want to marry him was because I didn't love him."

"You don't?" Draco asked.

"**My heart has always loved one man."**

Draco was frozen to his spot when he saw the ring on Ginny's finger. It wasn't Harry's; it was his. "Is that one man… me?"

"Yes, Draco, for always and forever you have my heart, and there's nothing I can do about that. But you broke it, Draco." She started to cry, "And it shattered into a lot of pieces."

Draco walked over to her and said, "I can put it back together. I'm good at fixing things."

"But a heart is so much harder to mend."

"I will take as long as I have to mend it. Even if it takes me to fix it, I will."

"Draco, I don't want to wait. I want now."

"Now?"

Ginny nodded her head.

"Let me see what I can do," Draco said as he leaned his head towards her and pressed his lips against hers ever so softly in a kiss. "How's that?"

"I've had better," Ginny said with a smile, "but my heart is feeling better."

"Hmmm, so if I keep kissing you for the next few months, you think your heart will be better in time for a spring wedding?"

Ginny gasped, smiled, and said, "Don't push your luck, buddy."

Draco laughed, wrapped his arms around her, and took her into a passionate kiss.

**Outside the accounting house George and Fred were peeping through the window. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" they screamed in unison. "WHAT HORRIBLE SIN HAVE WE COMITTED?**

"**It's about bloody time!" Fred said. "I knew it was going to happen."**

"**What was your first clue? When Ginny said he was a bastard for making fun of Harry at Flourish and Blotts? Or that time that she tried to bite him when Draco caught them for Umbridge?" **

"Whatever. So, are you going to finish the story or what?"

"Draco was better than his word, he did it all and more. And whenever you asked anyone about Draco Malfoy, they all said that he was a changed man. He kept his word to the three Spirits; he learned how to keep Christmas in heart every day of the year. And as for Tiny Tim, who did NOT die..."

"Oh, that's great! I always did like Tiny Tim."

"You better have, he's your nephew," George said and then returned to finishing his story. "And as for Tiny Tim, who did not die, he became a second father. And as Tiny Tim observed…"

As George said that, Tiny Tim walked into the street with his crutches and said, "God bless us, everyone."

As the words THE END pop up you can still here George and Fred talking.

"So, do you believe me that I'm Charles Dickens, now?"

"Nope."

"Oh, well."

"So, what do we do now?"

George smiled and said, "It was the best of times it was the worst of times."

"NO WAY! That story is like eight times larger then the Christmas Carol. Don't even think about it. I've never even read that story."

THE END!

Thanks everyone for all the reviews! I hope you enjoyed!


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